The Parish Church of St John-at-Hampstead

Joshua 5: 13 – 6: 20; Matthew 11: 20 – end; Psalm 127
“Come unto me all that travail and are heavy laden and I will refresh you.” 
If you are above a certain age – and I include myself here! these words of Jesus’ will be particularly familiar because they form part of the ‘Comfortable words’ in Book of Common Prayer Communion service.  The sentence comes immediately after the absolution, as an encouragement to believe that as we are forgiven the burden of our sin is removed.   However, as we find these words in our Gospel reading this evening, we could see them as part of Jesus’ own reflection on the impact of the early part of His ministry. 
He has preached and healed among the towns and cities of Galilee.  God has blessed His ministry with signs and miracles, but even this has not resulted in wholesale repentance among the people.  In fact, while the simplest people and children may have been drawn to him those who are well-educated and intelligent have not responded so readily.  Whole communities have missed the point.  Jesus foresees the persecution that His followers may face. 
And immediately after this evening’s passage in the Gospel comes the story of Jesus and his followers breaking the Sabbath on two counts and incurring the hostility of the Pharisees. So Jesus’ talk of burdens here may also refer to the burdens imposed on other people by the Pharisees.
I wonder whether you are predominantly a big picture person or a detail person?  Do you get inspired by a big idea and ignore the practicalities of how it’s going to work out.  Or do you, like me, have a tendency to focus on the detail, perhaps at the risk of losing sight of the end in view?  When I was writing essays at College I could quite enjoy fiddling about getting the references and bibliography right, because it was so much easier than thrashing out a theological argument.  When I’m writing a sermon, the planning hurts my head, but finding exactly the right turn of phrase, is rather fun!
The Pharisees were detail people when it came to the Law.  Instead of sticking with the Ten Commandments or even the more detailed Laws of Leviticus they added more and more rules and regulations, hedging around the original laws to make sure that they couldn’t put a foot wrong by mistake. Jesus castigates them for tithing even their herbs – mint, dill and cumin, but neglecting justice, mercy and faith  (Matthew 23:23).  Jesus’ exasperation with their almost obsessive attention to detail seems to be behind His comments about heavy burdens.
Irritated by the Pharisees, He is also concerned for those who are hurt; those who, however, much they try, think they will never be good enough because they simply cannot keep all the rules.
“Come unto me all you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest”. 
Jesus’ words still resonate for us today.  They must be some of the most famous and most comforting words in the Bible.  How then, do they speak to us?  Is it to the day to day slog of managing work, family and church? Is it to the sense of never being good enough?  Or of never quite having enough time? Or it might be the burden of not knowing quite how to fill our time.  
The 20th century theologian Paul Tillich summed up the universal predicament of human beings in this way:
“Man labours and toils, because he is that being which knows about his finitude, about his transitoriness, about the danger of living, and about the tragic character of existence.  Fear and anxiety are the heritage of all people.”
Or, as we heard in our Psalm this evening: “It is but lost labour that ye haste to rise up early, and so late take rest, and eat the bread of carefulness: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.”
Because God loves us, Jesus offers us rest.  Rest from rules; rest from being good enough.  Rest, ultimately from the fear of death which so often drives us.  If we were better at resting in this way our work might be far more productive.  As Tillich puts it:  “We and our world would be better, truer, and more just, if there were more rest for souls in our world.  Our actions would be more creative, more conquering, conquering the tragedy of our time, if they grew out of a more profound level of our life.  For our creative depth is the depth in which we are quiet.”
Do we believe how much we are loved? Do we have the courage to take up Christ’s offer of rest?
Jesus offers rest from our self-imposed burdens.  And then He offers us His yoke. A yoke of oxen was generally two animals working side by side, yoked together.  Jesus’ yoke is not a set of rules and regulations, of shoulds and oughts, of things to be done, but an invitation to walk beside Him, to share in His risen life and His work.
As we continue to think as individuals about our giving to the Church, both of our time and our money, the PCC will be meeting tomorrow to think through some more about the future of our church.  We shall soon need to begin to plan for the interregnum next year.  We may need to make  decisions about what really is of central importance to us.  This applies both to each of us personally and to us all as members of Hampstead Parish Church.
As we think about our lives and the life of our church, perhaps we can ask ourselves – Are we allowing Christ to carry our burdens, or are we trying to carry them ourselves?  Are we lost in detail, or do we have a vision for our part in the kingdom of God? 
And perhaps we can keep pondering that image of ourselves as yoked together with Christ – working alongside and walking alongside.
Amen